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photo by Heather Renee_____
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photo by Heather Renee_____ |
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Firefighting. Now there's a job that deserves our full support, much like policemen and our military, who are always putting themselves in harm's way. We should give them adequate tools and materials to do their jobs. The old East Lincoln Fire Station was built almost 30 years ago, and is not designed to handle full-time staff. A new station has been constructed nearby, at a cost of $3.2m. When the Fire Department adds people, or equipment, or opens a new fire station, that expansion normally results in a better insurance rating for the district, which translates into a lower insurance bill. The East Lincoln Fire Dept recently got the district's rating decreased (improved) from 7 to 5. Most people will save enough money each year to pay for about 1/3 of their Fire Tax. At the same time, the citizens of the area don't have unlimited pocketbooks. The new Headquarters Fire Station is merely replacing the existing one, so the service levels (as measured by the rating agencies) won't change. So it's important to keep the cost of that facility within bounds. The original plan featured a large community meeting room, a 911 dispatching center, and facilities for EMS. None of these extras were asked for by anyone, and aren't within the normal charter of a Fire Dept. Along with several other concerned citizens, I monitored the
East Lincoln Fire Dept and their quest to get a new HQ fire station. The
price for this had escalated from $2.2 million to $ 4.4 million. With the
support of a majority of the County Commissioners, the Fire Dept scaled back those plans. Approximately $1m was cut out of the building's
budget. Anyone who's toured the new facility can see that, even then, it's
a first-class facility. For More Information Contact: |
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